Meditation, Mindfulness & Creative Writing
A University of Roehampton Research Project Exploring the Positive Links Between Mindfulness Practice and Creative Writing
Introduction to Meditation, Mindfulness & Creative Writing
Workshops
In this section you will find the three key presentations that we gave this year.
Each presentation contains information about meditation techniques, creative strategies and related project materials.
Walking Meditation & Project Summary
Our final session was a walking meditation.
At the end of the meditation participants sat together and shared their experiences of the project.
Detailed analysis of written feedback can be downloaded by clicking the button below.
MEDITATION TECHNIQUES
The core meditation which was taught over the programme was one which took a Theravadin - Thai body scan mindfulness exercise and simplified it so that it would be easy to remember and incorporate into everyday practice. The method—bringing attention to different parts of the body—brings participants into the present and provides a focus on a real, physical subject to ground the sitter both mentally and physically. The method is to concentrate on HEAD/BREATH, then HANDS, then BUM, gently moving attention from point to point with the breath in order to bring both focus and engagement with the process of sitting mindfully on a meditation cushion or chair.
There are many different meditation techniques. It’s a case of different strokes for different folks. If you are a beginner, try a technique for a week or so before deciding it isn’t for you. These things take getting used to.
Nine Different Techniques:
1. Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation, or Vipassana, originates from Buddhist traditions, particularly Theravada Buddhism. It emphasizes present-moment awareness and acceptance, focusing on observing thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment.
Practitioners typically begin by focusing on their breath, observing each inhalation and exhalation. As thoughts or distractions arise, they are noted and then gently brought back to the breath. This practice fosters a non-reactive awareness of the present moment.
2. Concentration Meditation
Concentration meditation, also known as Samatha or focused attention meditation, is prevalent in many spiritual traditions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christian mysticism. It involves focusing on a single point of attention to develop mental stability and clarity.
Practitioners may focus on a specific object, sound, mantra, or their breath. The goal is to maintain unwavering attention on this focal point, gently bringing the mind back whenever it wanders. Over time, this practice leads to deep states of concentration and tranquility.
3. Loving-Kindness Meditation
Loving-kindness meditation, or Metta Bhavana, is rooted in Buddhist traditions. It aims to cultivate an attitude of unconditional love and compassion towards oneself and others.
Practitioners begin by generating feelings of kindness and compassion towards themselves. They then extend these feelings to loved ones, acquaintances, neutral individuals, and even those they find challenging. The practice often involves silently repeating phrases like "May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be safe."
4. Mantra Meditation
Mantra meditation is often called Transcendental Meditation (TM) in the west. It involves the use of a mantra to transcend ordinary thought and access a state of deep rest and relaxation.
Practitioners sit comfortably with their eyes closed and silently repeat a specific mantra. The mantra is chosen to resonate with the individual's personality. The repetition of the mantra reinforces an important message and it allows the mind to settle into a state of restful awareness.
5. Shikantaza | Zen Meditation
Zen meditation, Shikantaza, or Zazen, is a core practice in Zen Buddhism. It emphasizes seated meditation and direct insight into the nature of existence.
Zazen involves sitting in a specific posture, usually the lotus or half-lotus position, with hands in a particular mudra (hand gesture). Practitioners focus on their breath or engage in "just sitting" (Shikantaza), a state of open awareness without a specific object of focus. Meditators often doing this facing a wall.
6. Guided Meditation
Guided meditation involves a facilitator or recording guiding the practitioner through a series of visualizations or instructions. This type of meditation can be found in various spiritual and secular contexts.
During guided meditation, individuals are led through a mental journey, often involving relaxing imagery, affirmations, or prompts to focus on specific sensations or emotions. This can be done in person, via audio recordings, or through apps and online platforms.
7. Body Scan Meditation
Body scan meditation comes from Thai meditation techniques and is often associated with mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It involves systematically bringing awareness to different parts of the body.
Practitioners typically lie down or sit comfortably and focus attention sequentially on different areas of the body, starting from the toes and moving up to the head. The practice involves noticing any sensations, tension, or areas of discomfort without judgment.
8. Chakra Meditation
Chakra meditation originates from the Indian spiritual traditions of Hinduism and Tantra. It focuses on the seven chakras, or energy centres, located along the spine, from the base to the crown of the head.
Practitioners visualize and concentrate on each chakra, often using specific mantras, colours, or symbols associated with each energy centre. The goal is to balance and align the chakras, promoting physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. A variation on this is for meditators to focus on one particular chakra according to what energy they want to be working with.
9. Walking Meditation
Walking meditation is a very useful practice for individuals who—for whatever reasons—do not want to do sedentary, sitting meditation. (You can watch a short excerpt from the walking meditation with which we concluded our mindfulness programme on this website.)
By walking slowly (if possible in a peaceful environment) one notices the energies in one’s body and the fact that we are passing slowly through an outside environment. The ability to slow down completely and experience the present moment without going or getting anywhere is a powerful tool for slowing down both the body and mind.
CREATIVE WRITING PROMPTS
One of the ways in which we can increase our creativity, avoid writer’s block, and feel generally empowered around our writing practice is to have more than just the blank screen in front of us whenever we want to write.
Our Meditation, Mindfulness & Creative Writing programme is about providing tools and resources to all interested parties. We used prompts and in-class materials to inspire us in the workshops. Here are lots of prompts for creative writing and mindfulness, divided into categories for poetry, prose, and nonfiction.
Before you start…here are three very useful guidelines.
1. Show, don’t tell. Detail is your greatest ally in bringing writing to life.
2. Avoid metaphor and simile. They remove the reader from the real world.
3. Don’t start editing your work until you have got to the end of your first draft.
Poetry
1. Write a poem about silence.
2. Create a haiku (a 3-line poem) about each of the four seasons.
3. Describe a memory through the lens of a specific colour.
4. Write a poem from the perspective of a tree.
5. Write a poem about a particular river.
6. Compose a poem about first love.
7. Write about the taste of your favourite food. How and where are you eating it?
8. Pen a poem that writes in detail about a rainy day.
9. Describe the night sky without using the words "stars" or "moon."
10. Write a poem that starts and ends with the same line.
11. Write a poem about the first light of dawn. What can you see?
12. Use an animal as a device to explore human emotions.
13. Write a poem that begins each line with "I remember..."
14. Describe a dream you had and turn it into a surreal poem.
15. Write a poem that celebrates a small, everyday object.
16. Explore the idea and experience of time in a poem.
17. Write a poem from the perspective of someone looking at their past self.
18. Create a poem that uses the structure of a list.
19. Write a poem inspired by a piece of music.
20. Describe a landscape in winter. Be specific.
21. Write a poem that captures the essence of a storm.
22. Use the concept of shadows to explore hidden aspects of yourself.
23. Write a poem inspired by the ocean.
24. Describe a childhood memory.
25. Write a poem that uses repetition as a central device.
26. Create a poem based on a myth or legend.
27. Write a love poem to an inanimate object.
28. Explore the theme of isolation in a poem.
29. Write a poem that takes place in a garden.
30. Write a poem that only uses words of one, two, three or four letters.
31. Write a poem about freedom. Avoid cliché and generalisation.
32. Use the imagery of the desert to explore themes of solitude.
33. Write a poem inspired by a piece of visual art.
34. Write about your favourite time of day.
35. Write a poem that uses a single colour as its theme.
36. Create a poem based on a famous quote.
37. Write a poem about a time in your life when you made a fresh start.
38. Describe a landscape in poetic language using as many colours as you can.
39. Write a poem about what happens when you sit down and meditate/do nothing.
40. Write a poem a day for a month.
Prose
1. Write a short story about a character who wants to write something but doesn’t know what to write.
2. Describe a day in the life of someone living 100 years in the future.
3. Create a story that revolves around an old, mysterious letter found in a library book.
4. Write a scene where two characters communicate only through body language and direct speech.
5. Imagine a world in which everybody is female and write a story set there.
6. Write a piece about your mobile phone.
7. Describe a journey to a place that doesn't exist on any map.
8. Write a story where the protagonist faces their greatest fear.
9. Create a dialogue between a person and their pet who suddenly can talk.
10. Write about a day that repeats itself endlessly for one character.
11. Write a short story based on a random photo you find online.
12. Create a story about a character who has the power to stop time.
13. Write about a place where magic is real but has a unique cost.
14. Describe a dinner party where the guests are historical figures.
15. Write a story set in a world where everyone has a unique superpower.
16. Create a narrative that centres around a lost artefact.
17. Write a story that takes place in one room over the course of a single day.
18. Describe a character's transformation over a decade.
19. Write a story that begins with a character finding a diary.
20. Create a narrative based on the phrase, "What if…?”
21. Write a story about a character who discovers they have a week left to live.
22. Describe a world where people live in the sky instead of on the ground.
23. Write a story about a mysterious, recurring dream.
24. Create a narrative where the protagonist can read people’s minds.
25. Write a story that takes place during a blackout in a major city.
26. Describe a character who has to solve a mystery in their own family.
27. Write about a world where books are illegal and the protagonist is a secret librarian.
28. Create a story based on an old family photograph.
29. Write a narrative where a character finds a doorway to another dimension.
30. Describe a world where everyone has a unique connection with an animal spirit.
31. Write a story about a character who finds an old photo with the names of the people on the back.
32. Describe a futuristic world where emotions can be traded.
33. Write a narrative around a festival in a small town.
34. Create a story about a family sitting around a dinner table.
35. Write about a character who is living undercover in a foreign country.
36. Describe a journey to the centre of the Earth.
37. Write a story that takes place entirely on a train.
38. Create a narrative in which the same story is told from different points of view.
39. Write about a character who can communicate with the past.
40. Describe a world where dreams are shared experiences.
Nonfiction
1. Write about a moment in your life when you felt completely at peace.
2. Describe a person who has had a significant impact on your life.
3. Write an essay about home—whatever that means to you.
4. Reflect on a book that changed your perspective on life.
5. Describe a tradition or ritual that is meaningful to you.
6. Write about a time you wanted to give up—and didn’t.
7. Reflect on a piece of advice that has stuck with you.
8. Describe a moment of connection with nature.
9. Write about a teacher who made a positive impact on your life.
10. Reflect on your relationship to being mindful.
11. Reflect on the importance of a specific hobby or passion in your life.
12. Write about a time you experienced a cultural event that was new to you.
13. Describe a moment when you felt a deep connection with another person.
14. Write an essay about the impact of technology on your personal life.
15. Reflect on a time you made a difficult decision and its outcome.
16. Describe a family tradition and what it means to you.
17. Write about a place you have always wanted to visit and say why.
18. What do you feel grateful for? Make a list. Make it as long as you can.
19. Reflect on your relationship to being creative.
20. Describe a personal goal you have achieved and its significance.
21. Reflect on the impact of a friend in your life.
22. Write about a time when you felt too hot or too cold.
23. Describe the process of learning a new skill and its challenges.
24. Reflect on the role of forgiveness in your life.
25. Write about a pet.
26. Describe a moment of profound beauty you witnessed.
27. Reflect on the importance of storytelling in your life.
28. How superstitious are you? Explain why you are or aren’t.
29. Describe a moment when you felt a deep sense of accomplishment.
30. Reflect on your relationship to writing and what it means to you.
31. Reflect on a song that you love. Where did you first hear it? Why is it so great?
32. Write about a moment of bad timing in your life.
33. Describe your first day at school/university/work.
34. Reflect on some good advice you have been given.
35. Write about a time you stepped out of your comfort zone.
36. Describe a personal ritual that brings you peace.
37. Reflect on the importance of self-care in your life.
38. Write about your favourite summer holiday.
39. Describe a moment when you felt truly connected to the world around you.
40. Reflect on the lessons you have learned from being a writer.
Research Findings
This section contains a formal report upon the project and a detailed analysis of participant questionnaires.
“All the sessions were well-organised and interesting. I got to meet many people, some of whom I am still in contact with. Tim was always very kind and enthusiastic. He was great at explaining things and made to sure listen to any ideas from our side and incorporate them as much as he could. I got to learn about new things and also share my knowledge. Overall, it was a lovely experience, and I am glad I attended :)”
Participant Testimonial | April 2024